Syfy okays realities, develops minis

Syfy in the US has greenlit a horror anthology and three reality shows for its 2013/14 season, and moved two ambitious miniseries into development.

The NBCUniversal-owned cable outlet said on Wednesday it will air a still-untitled 5×30′ horror anthology this fall, to be written and directed by Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained).

Foxx will also exec produce through his Foxxhole Productions shingle, with Troy Miller (Flight of the Conchords) and his Dakota Pictures.

Three new unscripted series are also on the slate for 2013/14: Joe Rogan Questions Everything, Cosworld and Fandemonium.

The first, set to debut in July, follows the comedian/actor as he looks into the strange and paranormal, and comes from A Smith & Co (Hell’s Kitchen).

Endemol-owned 51 Minds (The Surreal Life) will make the six-episode Cosworld, about extreme costuming or “cosplay.” Die hard fans of sci-fi will also be front and centre in Fandemonium. 495 Productions (Jersey Shore) produces the six-parter about obsessed fans who live together in an LA apartment.

The channel also turned heads with its developing miniseries Ringworld and Childhood’s End, both adaptations of much-loved, space opera novels.

The network is also working towards previously announced adaptations of Philip K Dick’s story The Man in the High Castle, Stephen King’s Eyes of the Dragon and Jim Henson Productions’ Darkfall – which some see as a trend toward more lavish and scripted shortform projects among Syfy decision-makers.

Later this month, the network will debut Defiance which, at a reported US$100m, is its most expensive series to date.

Other Syfy announcements included the fourth-season renewal of its version ofBeing Human.